Search Results (4)

With the advancement of lead–bismuth fast reactors, there has been increasing attention directed towards the design of and manufacturing technology for electromagnetic pumps employed to drive liquid lead–bismuth eutectic (LBE). These electromagnetic pumps are characterized by a simple structure, effective sealing, and ease of flow control. They exploit the excellent electrical conductivity of liquid metals, allowing the liquid metal to be propelled by Lorentz forces generated by the traveling magnetic field within the pump. To better understand the performance characteristics of electromagnetic pumps and master the techniques for integrated manufacturing and performance optimization, this study conducted fundamental research, development of key components, and the assembly of the complete pump. Consequently, an annular linear induction pump (ALIP) suitable for liquid lead–bismuth eutectic was developed. Additionally, within the lead–bismuth thermal experimental loop, startup and preheating experiments, performance tests, and flow-head experiments were conducted on this electromagnetic pump. The experimental results demonstrated that the output flow of the electromagnetic pump increased linearly with the input current. When the input current reached 99 A, the loop achieved a maximum flow rate of 8 m³/h. The efficiency of the electromagnetic pump also increased with the input current, with a maximum efficiency of 5.96% during the experiments. Finally, by analyzing the relationship between the flow rate and the pressure difference of the electromagnetic pump, a flow-head model specifically applicable to lead–bismuth electromagnetic pumps was established. Full article

Hydraulic water plunger pumps have come to be widely used in coal mining, seawater desalination, and oil exploitation due to their high output pressure and large flow characteristics. In a high-pressure large-flow plunger pump, the leakage of the annular channel of the plunger pair is an essential factor affecting volume efficiency. The axial pressure gradient exists in the fluid inside the annular channel, resulting in the plunger and plunger sleeve forming similar funnel-like shapes. Moreover, the characteristics of large diameter, high working pressure, and low fluid viscosity of the plunger pump will lead to the complicated flow of the annular channel. The influence of eccentricity and structural deformation on leakage is difficult to evaluate. Therefore, considering the deformation gradient and eccentricity of the plunger pair and the compressibility of the water, the deformation equations and leakage equations of the annular channel under the laminar and turbulent flow state are derived in this study. The eccentricity and leakage of the annular channel under different pressure conditions are measured using a built sealing test bench. It is proved that the discrepancy between the calculated model and the experimental results is less than 6% under different pressures, which effectively predicts the sealing performance of plunger pumps. The results show that under the laminar flow condition, the effects of eccentricity, structural deformation, and medium compressibility on leakage are 148%, 4.92%, and 0.92%, respectively. In turbulent conditions, they were 31%, 2.84%, and 1.19%, respectively. Besides, the reasonable material pairing of the plunger friction pair can reduce the variation of leakage due to structural deformation. Full article

The annular seal between stator and rotor substantively acts as a bearing that affects the rotordynamic characteristic of the turbomachinery rotor system. The rotor wake turbulence in a canned motor Reactor Coolant Pump (RCP) will lead to inflow pressure distortion at the annular seal entrance, thus further affecting the seal rotordynamic characteristics and threatening the stable operation of RCP. In order to obtain the seal rotordynamic coefficients, a transient numerical method applies the mesh deformation technique to simulate the multiple-frequency elliptical rotor whirling orbit model. The transient solutions were proposed to solve the unsteady reaction forces of annular seals at five excitation frequencies for each case. The inflow pressure distortion patterns were simplified as harmonic functions, including two important influence parameters that are impeller blades number m and pressure fluctuation ratio $\lambda$. The numerical results showed that with nonuniform time-averaged pressure distribution at the entrance of the annular seal in Case 2, the inflow distortion significantly affects the seal rotordynamic coefficients, while the rotational spinning speed in Case 3 can weaken the time-averaged nonuniformity and accordingly make a dent in the influence. Increasing impeller blades number m and pressure fluctuation $\lambda$ both result in a sharp diminution of the negative stiffness $K_{eff}$, as well as an obvious increase in the effective damping $C_{eff}$, which will strengthen rotor misalignment and system stability. In addition, the larger impeller blades number m and higher pressure fluctuation $\lambda$ will make the effective damping $C_{eff}$ more independent of the whirling frequency. These results provide theoretical guidance for the operation safety of RCP. Full article

Pump annular seals can cause fluid reaction forces that have great effects on the vibration characteristic and stability of a pump system. For this reason, it is important to study rotordynamic characteristics of annular seals. In this paper, a new transient computational fluid dynamics (CFD) method with dynamic mesh is proposed to investigate rotordynamic characteristics of the pump annular seal. The reliability of the transient CFD method is validated by comparison with the results from the experiment and the bulk-flow method, and the relationship between the seal length and rotordynamic characteristics is investigated by the transient CFD method. The results indicate that direct stiffness decreases sharply even turns to negative as the seal length increases, this phenomenon may change the direction of fluid force on the rotor surface and affect supporting condition of the pump rotor. With the increasing seal length, the whirl frequency ratio gradually increases, which would weaken the stability of the pump rotor system. Full article